Into the Mind
by moi-moi819
Summary: A collection of one-shots for our favorite characters.
1. Chapter 1

I crossed my legs again before letting out a small whimper. I should have picked a better hiding place.

I really needed to use the bathroom, but if I exposed myself, the one chasing me would catch me. I couldn't go back there; not now! "_Inuyasha?_" I heard the voice call out my name. I covered my mouth with my hands and my eyes went wide. I know she can't hear my breathing, but she always finds me. Maybe I breathe loud enough for her to hear? "Inuyasha?" Her voice was even louder now.

"I found you!" I heard her voice cry out as two hands slipped around my waist. I struggled in her grasp, flailing wildly. I cried out in objection before I felt my feet touch the hard ground. I turned to see my mother watching me with a mad look. "I have been looking for you everywhere, Inuyasha. You were supposed to be writing. Or have you forgotten your lessons?"

"But, I don't wanna write! It makes my hand hurt!" I complain. I show her my pale pink hands as proof. She watches them for a second before taking them and leading me back inside our home. I tried to pull away, but she didn't let go. "Mama! I don't wanna do it!"

"Inuyasha, you will do it. You will be a bright boy who knows how to read and write. Isn't that what you want?" Mama asks. I shake my head and let my hair move around.

"I wanna play, Mama. The other children don't have lessons! They can play all they want!" I yell. She shakes her head and looks down at me. I wait for her to say something. Then, she crouches down to look me in the eyes. She wipes some stuff off my cheeks before smiling.

"Alright. If you read three pieces of parchment and learn to write ten new words before the day ends, you can play for the rest of the day. How does that sound?" Mama asks.

"What? Ten!? But, that's a lot!" I yell.

"Ten," she says again. I pout and grumble, but go inside to finish my lessons. I don't see why I have to learn this stuff anyway. It's stupid! I wanna learn how to be strong like Aniki. I've never met him. Mama says he's a really strong demon. I wish I could meet him. _He _wouldn't make me read dumb parchments and write stupid words…

~:~

"Mama, where are we going?" I ask again.

"Shh, Inuyasha. You have to be quiet. Okay? Can you be quiet for Mama?" Mama says quietly. I close my mouth and look around. It was the middle of the night. Mama had woken me up. All our things were packed up and we were leaving our home. My nose twitched once before I sneezed. It smells like burning wood.

"Mama, I smell burning wood. What's going on?" I ask again before realizing that I was supposed to keep quiet. Mama doesn't answer. I start to hear people. It sounded like a lot of angry voices. I looked back to see an orange glowing light where the voices were coming from. Was that the burning wood? "Are those the villagers? Why are they up too?"

"We have to leave now, Inuyasha. Be a good boy for Mama. I'm going to put you on my back. Try to go back to sleep," she whispers. I lay onto her warm back and rest my cheek on her shoulder. When I heard the villagers cry out loudly again, I looked back. They were burning our house down!

I grabbed onto Mama's kimono to get her attention but she only sped up. I watched as the lights disappeared, but I could still hear their voices. What's a half-breed?

~:~

Mama had found a cave by the morning so we stayed there for a while. Mama was so tired and thirsty. I tried to get her water from a river and help her get to sleep like she did for me. I was sad to see her so weak. Her feet were red and bruised. She must have been walking for too long in the dark.

Mama slept on the cave floor and I kept watch. I didn't want anyone to hurt Mama. I had to protect her. Then, I felt a prick on my neck. "Ow!" I yelled and slapped my neck. I heard a small sound before seeing something brown fall off me. Mama had woken up when I yelled so she looked around the cave.

"Myouga-jiisan?" Mama asked. She wiped her eyes before looking at the ground. I looked down. That's the thing that bit me!

"Lady Izayoi, what a pleasure to see you again! And the young Master Inuyasha. My you've grown," he speaks to me. I stare down at him. He's a flea. He sounds like he's a friend of Mama's.

"Myouga-jiisan, what do we owe this visit?" Mama asks with a smile on her face.

"I have only come to check on my late mater's youngest son and mate. But, I fear I may have travelled so far without anything to eat. I am famished," the flea says. Mama smiles at him before sticking out her wrist. At once, the flea hops onto her. I hear a sucking noise and then the flea starts to swell. My eyes go wide.

I was about to get him away from Mama, but he let go before rolling away. "Thank you very much, Lady Izayoi. I feel refreshed again."

Mama nods her head before looking at me. She laughs before pulling me onto her lap. I had already started crawling onto her before getting comfortable. "Inuyasha, this is Myouga-jiisan. He's known you since you were a baby. He is a friend," Mama says. I look at the large ball that looked like it was supposed to be smiling.

"Okay," I say. I don't know what else to say.

"Ah, Izayoi. Your blood is delicious as ever. So is Master Inuyasha's. He has quite the distinct flavor," Myouga-jiisan says. I'm delicious?

I feel Mama's hand touch my ear before scratching it. My leg twitches once and then she starts to rub it. Mama was so good at giving ear rubs. She must be the best in Japan! I wish she had ears like mine. Then, I could rub her ears for her.

I yawned once and closed my eyes. I don't remember anything after that.

~:~

Mama had been coughing a lot.

She would cough all the time. Sometimes, blood would come out. She couldn't walk anymore either. She could barely move. She was always laying on the ground and wrapped up in blankets. She had gray spots under her eyes and looked weak and sick. I tried to help her get better, but nothing I did worked. She only got worse.

Myouga-jiisan had come by again. He had been gone for a few months since his last visit. He didn't smile as much as he had last time. He didn't try to drink Mama's blood either.

Maybe it was because she smelled different? Mama usually smelled very nice. I loved her smell. But, now she smelled sick and it wouldn't go away, even after she bathed.

I had left the cave to fill some water for Mama one day. I tried to move quickly so she wouldn't be alone for too long. As I walked back, I heard mama's voice.

"_How long, Myouga-jiisan?"_

"…_Not long. Less than a month… I'm sorry, Lady Izayoi."_

"_Do not weep for me. I only weep for Inuyasha. Myouga-jiisan, promise me. Look out for him."_

"_I will. I will watch over the young master. What about Sesshoumaru?"_

"_You know where Sesshoumaru stands. He will not watch over Inuyasha. It must me you Myouga-jiisan."_

I had so many questions. How long for what? Was Mama leaving? Where was she going? Was she leaving me with Myouga-jiisan? Why?

"Mama?" I ask and step into the cave. I had to ask her. She turns her head and looks at me. She gives me a small smile.

"Inuyasha, come here. I need to tell you something," she says and raises her hand. It was so white and bony. Mama had blue lines and straight line sticking out. They never used to do that before.

"What is it, Mama?" I ask and put down the pot. I sit in my spot next to her head.

"I love you, Inuyasha. You know that. You are my son and I love you. I never want you to forget. Never forget everything I taught you. Alright?" she says. I nod my head. "You are to listen to Myouga-jiisan. You have to be a good boy. You have to be smart and stay out of trouble for Mama. Do exactly what Myouga-jiisan tells you. Do this for Mama."

"I will," I say. She takes my hand and tries to squeeze it, but it looks too hard. I don't know why, but it felt really sad in the cave. Even though mama was smiling at me, it felt sad and empty.

~:~

"Master Inuyasha, are you alright?" Myouga-jiisan asks me. I don't answer him though. I wiped my eyes furiously before sniffling. Every time I wiped my eyes, they got wet again. I was crying so much.

"Mama," I say. Why'd you leave me too? I didn't want you to leave me.

"She's gone now, Master Inuyasha. It will be alright, Myouga-jiisan says. I look down at the brown dirt.

"Myouga-jiisan, I… don't have anybody now. What do I do?" I ask him. Papa was dead. Mama was… dead. I'm all alone. When something cool hits my ear and then my hand, I look up. Storm clouds started to move in front of the sun. Just then, the rain fell.

"Head for those trees! Let's get out of the rain," Myouga-jiisan says. I didn't want to leave. I couldn't leave Mama. But, then I remembered what she told me. I had to listen to Myouga-jiisan. "We have to find shelter. Let's go Master Inuyasha!"

I looked back at the brown dirt that covered Mama. I looked at it for a while before dashing off. I will come back Mama. I promise.

~:~

I was so thirsty.

I'm not sure how long I had been walking. I sniffed the air for somewhere I could find water. A relieved sound came out as the smell of freshwater floated my way on the wind. I broke off in a dash for the water. I reached it within ten seconds.

The sight of the river shining under the sun was too inviting. I didn't hesitate before running to the bank and sticking my head completely under the water. I took large gulps before pulling my head out and sitting back. I let out a content sigh. I didn't care that the water was soaking my clothes. They would dry.

That's when my senses started acting up. I sniffed the air. My head turned to see someone else nearby. I hadn't noticed them before. I stood and watched them cautiously, sizing up the level of danger. He gave me a long glance before looking away.

I didn't care. If he didn't care about me, I could slip away without him noticing.

"Half-breed," he says with disgust. My upper lip rose and bared my fang. I let out a growl before turning away from the asshole. He wasn't worth my time.

"Master Inuyasha!" I hear Myouga call out. I turn to see him jumping after me. I must have left him behind when I dashed off to the river. Myouga stops and stares at the asshole. "Lord Sesshoumaru…"

Sesshoumaru? I looked at him. Was _this _Sesshoumaru? Was he really the Sesshoumaru I had been told about since I was a child? Was he my brother?

"Myouga… you travel with the half-breed," he says. I growled again.

"Y-yes. Lady Izayoi passed away. She has been dead for many decades now. I watch over Master Inuyasha," Myouga says. I've seen Myouga scared before, but I've never seen him scared and standing his ground. Usually, he'd already have run off only to show up hours later.

Sesshoumaru snorts before looking away. Was this really my brother? I stepped towards him. He _looked _like me. He had the same color eyes and hair. But, he had marks on his face that I didn't have. And he didn't have ears like I did. And he was taller too. He looks at me before glaring. I stopped before continuing. "Sesshoumaru, you're my brother?" I ask.

He glares at me before baring his fangs. Before I could react, he had me by my collar and p in the air. I grabbed at his fist and struggled in his grip. I growled. What the hell is his problem? "Never call me that. You are no family of mine, half-breed," he growls before flinging me across the clearing. I could hear Myouga call out to me, but I blocked him out. My body hit a tree before the tree broke in two. I tried to open my eyes and grit my teeth to the pain. Slowly, I lifted my body to look at him. But, Sesshoumaru was already leaving. What had I done to him?

~:~

I was 135 summers.

I considered myself a man. I could fend for myself just fine. But, Myouga insists on staying with me. I guess he felt obligated to keep his promise to my mother. I would never tell him, but I do enjoy his company. It's better than being alone.

"Master Inuyasha, you are 135 summers. A young man of your status should be proud of such a time. The humans celebrate such events in a young man's life," Myouga says. I give him a bored look. I slouch down on the tree branch I inhabited with a sigh. Myouga remained on my knee though.

"Myouga, I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not human," I say.

"Yes, I know that. But, this is an important time. I'm so proud of you. It seems like only yesterday your father had turned 135 summers," Myouga says. My ear twitches and I raise an eyebrow.

"You never talk about him, Myouga," I say.

"Really? Do you want me to?" he asks. Do I? I guess I would want to know about him. I didn't know much…

"I guess…"

"You're father was one of a kind. I have served your family for many centuries. I first served your grandfather. I was there when your father was being born and even Sesshoumaru. I nearly missed your birth, but your father was determined to be there," Myouga starts. "Unfortunately, I resulted in his downfall. Your father died protecting you and your mother. Your father was an amazing youkai," Myouga says.

Why had I never asked about my father before? I remember being upset at him for not being there, but he had a damn good reason. Could I do that? Could I die for a woman and child? Could I die for the woman I loved?

"You remind me so much of him. You are more like him than you know, Master Inuyasha. Sometimes, I wonder if you are more like him than Sesshoumaru," Myouga says.

"But, Sesshoumaru's full demon," I say.

"Blood does not matter. You both are his sons. But it seems you took more of his characteristics than Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru is more like his mother, I suppose," Myouga says. That gave me a weird feeling. I was more like Father than Sesshoumaru? Maybe I was strong like he was?

I closed my eyes and laid back. I tried to picture myself as strong as my father, stronger than even Sesshoumaru. It was a nice image…

~:~

Myouga and I had gone our separate ways on my 153rd summer.

I was on my own. I had been doing well for myself. I stayed away from villages and densely populated areas.

Everything was going well until I met the priestess, Kikyou. I wasn't sure what I thought of her at first. Sure, she was beautiful, smart, and powerful. But, she was a priestess. She could easily kill me. But, that didn't stop me from following her…

~:~

I think I may love her.

I've never felt so strongly about anyone before. I was sure that Kikyou cared deeply for me as well. Could we be together? Could we marry and have children? Would she want to?

I asked myself this stuff a lot. Everything I asked about myself, I asked what Kikyou would think. No one's opinion had mattered so much to me since… since my mother. That must mean something.

She asked me to become human for her. Can I? Can I give up half of who I am for the woman I love? If I do, then there would be nothing stopping us from living happily together… I'm going to tell her that I'll do it.

~:~

That bitch!

She betrayed me! I trusted her! I loved her. At least, I thought I did…

But now, as I watch her stand away from me with the smell of her blood heavily in the air, I'm not so sure. I know that I care deeply for you Kikyou, but what you've done is unforgiveable. You betrayed me. You hurt me. I closed my eyes and let the darkness take me.

~:~

Slowly, the darkness faded away from my mind. My hand twitched. I opened my eyes to see darkness around me. It was night. How long have I been out?

"_Someone help me!"_

I looked up then. Who was that? It looked like a girl with extremely long legs running towards me. Was that Kikyou? Did she cut her hair?

It was then that I noticed he centipede demon following her. Why didn't she just kill it? What was she doing? "You're looking pretty dumb there, Kikyou," I insulted. I immediately felt a twinge. I ignored it.

"Huh?" she looked up at me with a confused face. It was then that I smelled her scent. It hit me like s punch to the gut. Luckily, I couldn't move my limbs. I was sure that I would have tried to claw something. Kikyou never smelled this good… What had she done?

There's no way she can be Kikyou. She was too stupid. She freed me from my prison and actually seemed shocked when I tried to kill her! However, the jewel was my real goal.

"Sit boy!" I heard. The beads around my neck glowed before pulling me down. I fell through the bridge and into the river. What the hell? Who _is _this girl!?

~:~

Moi-Moi: There you go… My take on Inuyasha's life Pre-Anime… So, who should I do next? Leave a response in your review!

Edited: 9/1/2012


	2. Chapter 2

"You wished to see this Sesshoumaru?" I asked softly approaching my mother from behind. She did not turn to me. Rather, she remained focused on a scroll on her dainty hands. I glared at her back. I did not have time to waste.

"I hear he has taken a mate…you're brother," she says after some time. She puts away the scroll and reaches for another one, barely making a sound and refusing to look at me.

"Half-brother," I sneered. The half-breed…

"It makes no difference. Tell me. How does a half-breed with no extraordinary talent manage to obtain a mate as well as Tetsuaiga before a full-fledged Taiyoukai?" she goes on her her bell-chime voice. I can hear the condescending tone in her voice. My own youki rises to her taunt.

"Do not compare this Sesshoumaru to that half-breed," I command and turn to leave. I had had enough.

"He is more like The Great Dog Lord than I thought. He resembles the Dog General in his youth in every possible way. If it weren't for the human blood in his veins, a fool could mistake the half-breed for the Dog General," she goes on. With a simple bound, I was out of her realm and miles away.

She had only called me to speak about _him. _It seems as though the half-breed would haunt me wherever I went.

Damn him and his mate for slaying the half-breed, Naraku. Word had quickly got out that it was not I who had ended him, but the half-breed. This left many to talk about him and a bad taste in my mouth. Even Rin would prattle on about him.

Mother was right. The half-breed deeply resembled ChiChi-ue.

~:~

With a final stroke, I sat back to admire my handiwork.

I had taken it upon myself to ensure that I received a thorough education in everything I would need to become a successful Taiyoukai and please Father. I had just finished reading records on many different battle styles that my father kept in his study. I had even prepared a report for father on what I had learned and observed. Standing proudly, I sniffed him out and went to him.

"Father? I have prepared something to prove my readiness for the position as Taiyoukai. I would like for you to read it," I say and bow. I keep my eyes to the ground and wait for him to say something. I hear not a sound. I look up to see my father's expansive back and armor. He seems to be watching something in the distance, focusing deeply. "Father?"

"Do not waste my time with such foolishness. Can you not find a better use of your time?" father spoke in a cold tone. His booming voice weighed down on me as if it alone weighed more than a mountain. I watched him walk away suddenly feeling insignificant. He paid me no mind as I watched his back with a stern face. I turned, hearing someone approaching. From behind me, my mother gave me a cold look that seemed to say, '_Do not waste your time_.'

~:~

I started to notice changes in Father.

It was more than just physical changes. I often smelled the scent of a human on him, but only one. He would walk with a sort of stride that left me confused. Father was a proud Taiyoukai due to his strength, but he seemed to draw his pride from another source.

I also noticed the wall of ice and stone surrounding him seemed to deteriorate. Although he seemed to act much more cordially with other pack members, he still remained distant from mother…and even me. I chose to question him on it one night.

"_Are you proud of yourself?" _I heard my mother's voice sneer.

"_It does not concern you,"_ Father replied. I stopped mid-stride. What were they speaking about?

"_There are names for youkai such as yourself. Do you feel no shame? She is a human."_

"_She is not your concern."_

Though Father spoke in an even tone, I could tell his anger was boiling under the surface. My muscles tensed just in case mother would need me.

"_No. She is yours. I do not see the attraction. She is a weak human who will die before you even blink! And while you mourn, I will feel no remorse for you."_

I felt a wave of my father's youki rise up then. I couldn't move from the sheer power alone. My eyes widened. I stepped away before feeling the castle shake and hearing a loud crash. I could smell Father's scent vanishing. He had transformed and he had left. It would be months before I found out my father had mated a human.

~:~

It was the night of the new moon.

Father had just left his battle with Ryukotsei. I could smell the blood from miles out. I approached him on the beach. He seemed to be waiting for me. He had never appeared more foolish. He would risk his life for a _human._ She would only die within the century. The half-breed he sired would not live to see fifty. I felt disgust, hate, and frustration at seeing him. He still believed to be right and justified in this ridiculous quest.

"Have you someone to protect?"

Those five words would haunt me for the rest of my life.

~:~

"Sesshoumaru, I beg of you…please," the human wench my father had mated pleaded to me while on her knees. Shortly after my father's departure into the underworld, she had seeked me out with a request. I glared my coldest glare at her with disgust in my eyes.

"Leave. Do not try my patience human. I owe you nothing," I spat and turned from her. She looked thin and dirty. She reeked and smelled absolutely miserable.

"Sesshoumaru, you don't have to do it for me. But, he is family. He is your brother," she said softly. I was at her throat in a second. I allowed my youki to rise up and my eyes bleed red.

"Do not relate this Sesshoumaru to that abomination you harbor," I hiss and drop her. I can hear the sound of the infant half-breed's wails before she pulled him to her bosom and cooed to him.

"If you will not do it for me or him, do it for your father. I only wish for him to be safe. I will not live long enough for him."

"You should have considered that before you mated a youkai," I spat and took to the skies. I could not stand the scent of the half-breed. He smelled too much like Father.

~:~

I had learned that the half-breed had been sealed to a tree by a miko a few centuries later. I did not bat an eye.

~:~

"Where is it Toutousai?" I snarl and press the man further into the cave wall. I had had enough of his foolishness. "Where is Tetsuaiga?"

"I do not have it. Myouga was to take care of it. What do you care? You have Tenseiga," he rasped. Growling loudly, I tossed him aside and left his volcanic den. I had already seeked the worthless flea out, but he refused to tell me anything worthwhile. I had already questioned my mother, but she denied knowing.

"My Lord, perhaps Inuyasha would know something?" Jaken suggested with extreme humility in his tone. My brother was sealed away…or dead. One or the other. "I have heard that the seal was broken."

I did not like feeling desperate. I doubted the half-breed knew anything. But, he had gotten close to Myouga. Perhaps the flea had let something slip?

~:~

I felt my blood boil.

Father had left Tetsuaiga in the half-breed's care. He had entrusted the all powerful swords to a _child._ Even in death, he mocked me. I could not touch it due to my demonic blood. But a human could not wield it. Only a half-breed could wield the sword.

The half-breed wielded it as a toy. Using its powers to defend a human wench. He protected the miko. I grit my teeth, feeling my youki rise. I hope she purifies him.

~:~

"You do not hate him. Far from it actually. You cannot hate him for he is family to you," my mother says to me with a taunting tone from her throne.

"He is no family of this Sesshoumaru," I hiss and glare at her.

"You tell yourself these words, hoping them to be true. But, time cannot change. I hear he has pups as well and that his mate is an incredibly powerful miko. He is either extremely clever or foolish to mate the enemy. Tell me. Is it true that he resembles The Great Dog General?"

I kept quiet for some time, only glaring. I turned and prepared to leave. "Yes."

"I find it amusing that the similarities between them are far greater than those between you and the Dog Lord-despite blood," mother's taunting voice says. I can hear her pealing laughter as I soared away from her domain. I banished all thoughts of our conversation as I neared the half-breed village. I was due to visit Rin.

~:~

Moi-Moi: I think that Sesshoumaru wasn't always cold and calculating. I think after years of neglect he became hardened. If I was in his place, I would hate Inuyasha too. My father who didn't even know him risked his life and gave his his most prized possession? I'd be pissed. It's as if everything's going right for Inuyasha yet Sesshoumaru is neglected by everyone except Rin and Jaken. But, maybe they're all he needs. : )


End file.
